Object holder with quick-release anchoring capability

Abstract

An object holder with quick-release anchoring capability includes an object carrier having an object carrier base. A vacuum release actuator on the object carrier base is displaceable to separate from the object. An anchor member carried by vacuum release actuator includes outer and inner seal members and an interconnecting vent port. The outer and inner seal members are arranged to form substantially airtight seals with the reference surface and the object, respectively, that define controlled pressure zones. The vent port extends between the outer and inner controlled pressure zones. The inner seal member has a substantially non-folding configuration that prevents excessive seal elongation prior to separation from the object. During operation, the controlled pressure zones can be vented by manipulating the object carrier away from the reference surface to separate the object and the vacuum release actuator until the inner seal member breaks its substantially airtight seal with the object.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An object holder with releasable anchoring capability, comprising:
 an object carrier configured to hold an object while maintaining a fixed positional relationship therewith, the object carrier including an object carrier base; 
 a vacuum release actuator disposed on the object carrier base and being displaceable relative to the object carrier base in order to separate from the object along an axis that extends normal to a reference surface; 
 an anchor member carried by the vacuum release actuator; 
 the anchor member including an outer seal member, an inner seal member, a hub on which the outer seal member and the inner seal member are disposed, and an interconnecting vent port extending through the hub; 
 the outer seal member being arranged to engage the reference surface and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an outer controlled pressure zone, the outer controlled pressure zone including a region located between the outer seal member and the reference surface; 
 the inner seal member being arranged to engage the object and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an inner controlled pressure zone, the inner controlled pressure zone comprising a region located between the inner seal member and the object; 
 the vent port having an outer end in fluid communication with the outer controlled pressure zone and an inner end in fluid communication with the inner controlled pressure zone; 
 the hub being comparatively axially incompressible and non-elongatable relative to the outer seal member and the inner seal member; 
 the inner seal member having a substantially non-folding configuration that prevents axial elongation that would otherwise occur as result of seal member unfolding during operation of the object holder; and 
 whereby when the object holder holds the object and is mounted to the reference surface by virtue of the inner and outer controlled pressure zones maintaining a negative pressure differential relative to an external ambient pressure, the inner and outer controlled pressure zones can be vented by manipulating the object carrier away from the reference surface to separate the object and the vacuum release actuator until the inner seal member breaks the substantially airtight seal with the object. 
 
     
     
       2. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the inner seal member is substantially free of radially inwardly-extending sections when moving from the hub to a sealing surface that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the inner seal member. 
     
     
       3. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the inner seal member extends substantially continuously radially outwardly from the hub to a sealing surface that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the inner seal member. 
     
     
       4. The object holder of  claim 3 , wherein the inner seal member comprises at least one frustoconical wall section. 
     
     
       5. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the inner seal member comprises a cup-shaped peripheral portion. 
     
     
       6. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the inner seal member comprises a single main section integrally formed at one end of the hub and emanating radially outwardly from the hub and axially away therefrom. 
     
     
       7. The object holder of  claim 6 , wherein the inner seal member's single main section extends continuously radially outwardly from the hub to an outer rim that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the inner seal member. 
     
     
       8. The object holder of  claim 7 , wherein the inner seal member's single main section comprises a cup-shaped wall. 
     
     
       9. The object holder of  claim 7 , wherein the inner seal member's single main section comprises a frustoconical wall. 
     
     
       10. The object holder of  claim 7 , wherein inner seal member's single main section comprises a wall whose thickness tapers from the hub to the outer rim. 
     
     
       11. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the outer seal member comprises a first section integrally formed at one end of the hub and emanating radially outwardly therefrom, the outer seal member further comprising a second section integrally formed on a periphery of the first section and emanating radially outwardly from the first section and axially away from the hub. 
     
     
       12. The object holder of  claim 11 , wherein the outer seal member's first and second sections collectively extend continuously radially outwardly from the hub to a rim on a periphery of the second section that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the outer seal member. 
     
     
       13. The object holder of  claim 11 , wherein the outer seal member's first section is disk-shaped and the second section is frustoconical. 
     
     
       14. The object holder of  claim 11 , wherein the outer seal member's first section and second section collectively form a cup-shaped configuration. 
     
     
       15. The object holder of  claim 11 , wherein the outer seal member further includes a third section integrally formed on a periphery of the second section and emanating radially outwardly therefrom and axially toward the hub to a third section periphery that defines an outer edge of the outer seal member. 
     
     
       16. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the outer seal member is larger than the inner seal member, such that the outer seal member develops greater suction force than the inner seal member, and so that the inner seal member separates from the object before the outer seal member separates from the reference surface. 
     
     
       17. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the outer seal member is larger than the inner seal member to an extent that the outer controlled pressure zone has an surface area of not less than five times a surface area of the inner controlled pressure zone, such that the outer seal member develops not less than twenty-five times more suction force than the inner seal member, and so that the inner seal member separates from the object before the outer seal member separates from the reference surface. 
     
     
       18. The object holder of  claim 1 , wherein the object carrier comprises a smartphone case and the object is a smartphone or other handheld electronic device. 
     
     
       19. An object holder with releasable anchoring capability, comprising:
 an object carrier configured to hold an object while maintaining a fixed positional relationship therewith, the object carrier including an object carrier base; 
 a vacuum release actuator disposed on the object carrier base and being displaceable relative to the object carrier base in order to separate from the object along an axis that extends normal to a reference surface; 
 an anchor member carried by the vacuum release actuator; 
 the anchor member including an outer seal member, an inner seal member, a hub on which the outer seal member and the inner seal member are disposed, and an interconnecting vent port extending through the hub; 
 the outer seal member being arranged to engage the reference surface and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an outer controlled pressure zone, the outer controlled pressure zone including a region located between the outer seal member and the reference surface; 
 the inner seal member being arranged to engage the object and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an inner controlled pressure zone, the inner controlled pressure zone comprising a region located between the inner seal member and the object; 
 the vent port having an outer end in fluid communication with the outer controlled pressure zone and an inner end in fluid communication with the inner controlled pressure zone; 
 the hub being comparatively axially incompressible and non-elongatable relative to the outer seal member and the inner seal member; 
 the inner seal member being substantially free of radially inwardly-extending sections when moving from the hub to a sealing surface that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the inner seal member; and 
 whereby when the object holder holds the object and is mounted to the reference surface by virtue of the inner and outer controlled pressure zones maintaining a negative pressure differential relative to an external ambient pressure, the inner and outer controlled pressure zones can be vented by manipulating the object carrier away from the reference surface to separate the object and the vacuum release actuator until the inner seal member breaks the substantially airtight seal with the object. 
 
     
     
       20. An object holder with releasable anchoring capability, comprising:
 an object carrier configured to hold an object while maintaining a fixed positional relationship therewith, the object carrier including a substantially planar object carrier base arranged for interposition between a reference surface-facing side of the object and an external reference surface when the object is mounted to a reference surface using the object holder; 
 the object carrier further including one or more object holding elements arranged on a periphery of the object carrier base to engage one or more sides of the object that do not face the reference-surface; 
 a vacuum release actuator disposed on the object carrier base and being displaceable relative to the object carrier base in order to separate from the object along an axis that extends normal to the reference surface; 
 an anchor member carried by the vacuum release actuator; 
 the anchor member including an outer seal member, an inner seal member, a hub on which the outer seal member and the inner seal member are disposed, and an interconnecting vent port extending through the hub; 
 the outer seal member being arranged to engage the reference surface and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an outer controlled pressure zone, the outer controlled pressure zone including a region located between the outer seal member and the reference surface; 
 the inner seal member being arranged to engage the object and form a substantially airtight seal therewith that defines an inner controlled pressure zone, the inner controlled pressure zone comprising a region located between the inner seal member and the object; 
 the vent port having an outer end in fluid communication with the outer controlled pressure zone and an inner end in fluid communication with the inner controlled pressure zone; 
 the hub being comparatively axially incompressible and non-elongatable relative to the outer seal member and the inner seal member; 
 the inner seal member having a peripheral portion that extends substantially continuously radially outwardly from the hub to a sealing surface that forms the substantially airtight seal associated with the inner seal member; and 
 whereby when the object holder holds the object and is mounted to the reference surface by virtue of the inner and outer controlled pressure zones maintaining a negative pressure differential relative to an external ambient pressure, the inner and outer controlled pressure zones can be vented by manipulating the object carrier away from the reference surface to separate the object and the vacuum release actuator until the inner seal member breaks the substantially airtight seal with the object.